


Reunion

by honestgrins



Series: To Rely on the Kindness of Strangers [284]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: All-Human, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:09:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27074764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestgrins/pseuds/honestgrins
Summary: certifiedceraunophile asked: Hey Idk if you’re taking prompts at the moment, if you are then maybe a “we were having an impromptu family convention in the middle of your multi-million dollar manor after years of radio silence and here walks in a pregnant blonde round as a ball huffing and puffing about how the bakeries were fresh out of choco-mocha brownies, demanding you to cook for her, wanna tell us what’s going on nik?” Cue pikachu face from the entire Mikaelson clan, and the pregnant blonde just not having it thank you very much.
Relationships: Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson
Series: To Rely on the Kindness of Strangers [284]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/378628
Comments: 32
Kudos: 246





	1. Chapter 1

Still shaken upon finding his siblings at the front door, Klaus had done little more than to welcome them into the formal sitting room. While they sat on the stiff, elegant couches, it took every ounce of control for him not to pace. Instead, he half-hid behind a chair, his hands clenched on the backrest. “So… This is a surprise.”

Rebekah looked so earnest, like she could jump from her seat at any moment to give him a hug. “A good one, I hope?”

Apparently, the letters he’d sent after Mikael kicked him out never reached them; they’d had no idea where he was or how to get into contact. Young and angry, Klaus had felt utterly rejected. He changed his name, moved as far as he could with limited funds, and made a new life for himself. It would be a lie, however, to claim that he hadn’t missed his family. “Not a bad one,” he decided with a growing smile. “How did you find me?”

Elijah fidgeted only slightly. “Mother passed,” he said in that grave voice of his. Odd that it hadn’t changed much over the last ten years. “Father was adamant you not be invited to the funeral, but she had some letters saved for us. The ones you sent after…” He broke off, a deep discomfort settling over the room. Clearing his throat, he managed a weak grin. “Once I knew you had tried to reach out, I hired an investigator. I wanted to call, but-”

“But Bekah was ready to knock on your door,” Kol interrupted, dodging the smack to his shoulder. The easy way they silently bickered left Klaus longing for the relationships they might have had if not for Mikael. “And we couldn’t let her tell you she was the only one who wanted to come.”

“Because we did,” Elijah said as he leaned forward on his knees. “Finn wanted to be here as well, but his wife is on bed rest with their third child. It just wasn’t possible.”

He nodded automatically, not upset in the slightest. “I understand, I’ve been worried that Ca-”

The front door opened without warning, and his wife shuffled in with grocery bags. “Sweetheart, you’re not supposed to be lifting things.”

Caroline gave an affectionate roll of her eyes, shaking the light bags she carried. “Just the pastries, I left everything else in the car,” she promised. “But they didn’t have my mocha donuts, so will you please go find some for me?”

About to argue that she shouldn’t be eating coffee anything, Klaus suddenly remembered they had an audience when her mouth fell into a surprised _O_. With a sheepish grin, he helped her over the chair he’d used for support. “You did always want to meet my siblings,” he joked.

“Preferably not while I’m the size of a blimp,” she grumbled before smiling down at her belly. “So, what did I miss?”

The Mikaelsons seemed a bit dazed at the picture they made, their long-lost brother doting on a perfect stranger obviously pregnant with his child. Klaus wasn’t sure which amused him the most, Elijah’s dumbstruck confusion or Kol’s vague discomfort despite relishing in such awkward situations.

Rebekah, however, was not quite as amused. “You’re _married_?!”


	2. Restart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> enniec123 asked: Hiiiii, a part 2 to Reunion pleaseeee

Rebekah gestured down to his hand, though she couldn’t quite look away from the sapphire on Caroline’s finger. “ _You’re_ not wearing a ring.”

His thumb moved to check, but all he felt was the slight indent in his skin. “I was working when you arrived,” he explained. “I never wear it in the studio.”

“He’s not so good at coloring within the lines,” Caroline teased as she smiled up at him. “The last time he got paint on his ring, the etching was bright red for a year. I thought it looked cool, but he rubbed his hands raw trying to wash it off himself.”

Groaning, he dropped a kiss on top of her head. “I went to a lot of trouble designing our rings. Forgive me for wanting them to appear as intended.”

“Elijah said you’re an artist,” Kol said, watching them with bald curiosity. “Are you any good?”

“Look at the house, you wanker.” The thwack to his shoulder was somehow louder than Rebekah’s sneer. “He’d have to be good to afford this.”

But Klaus grinned down at his wife instead, barely stifling a laugh. “Caroline’s the real breadwinner, but I appreciate the confidence.”

Caroline just shrugged. “You do okay,” she said, winking. 

Nodding with something like esteem, Elijah straightened his already perfect posture. “According to my investigator, you run the Salvatore Foundation. That’s quite the accomplishment for someone your age.”

“I’m good at what I do, but I definitely abused my connections to get where I am. Stefan and I are old college friends, and he was kind enough to convince his family to take a chance on me.”

“To wonderful results,” Klaus pointed out. Facing his siblings, he couldn’t help a proud puff of his chest. “They recently funded an entire research wing for a local blood donation center, hoping to develop new and efficient screening processes to allow for a wider range of accepted donors.”

Rebekah seemed stunned. “You- You’re-” Swallowing, her gaze turned sad. “You built a whole life without us.”

Taking the supportive squeeze of his hand from Caroline, Klaus stepped toward his sister. “I had to,” he said as gently as he could, “but you’re here now.”

From her seat, Caroline chimed in. “I don’t have siblings, so it’d be nice for this little one to know their aunt and uncles. Which means you’re staying for dinner,” she said, her tone brooking no argument. “Klaus, I left the groceries in the car, and we still haven’t solved my doughnut problem.”

All at once, the Mikaelsons all rose from the couch. Elijah was promising to find the best doughnut shop around, even though he looked vaguely flummoxed by the concept. Kol pointed questioningly for the garage, presumably to help unload the bags. Meanwhile, Rebekah asked if she could see the nursery, no doubt to offer her opinions on the decorations. 

In the flurry of the moment, Klaus helped Caroline to stand again, his hand brushing over her belly. “You sure this is the family you were hoping for?”

“Try and take it from me,” she dared, kissing him softly before taking her things to the kitchen. “Go help your brother before he takes a wrong turn to your studio, there are some paintings in there I’m sure you don’t want him to see.”


	3. Missing Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous asked: hey!! I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE your works, I've binge read them over the week, and every last one of them was a concentrated shot of giggles, warmth, feels and tingles, i mean so much fluff and so much humour!! one fic that left me extra giddy was reunion I'd love a third part to it, maybe if you could incorporate Klaus being a fussy fawning and just absolutely smothering baby daddy to his pregnant wife, and the mikaelsons just floored by this new persona I'd be very grateful. kudos to you<3.

Discomfort couldn’t begin to describe the itching sensation that scratched down her spine as she looked around the room, lovingly painted and curated for the next Mikaelson - one she hadn’t known about even half an hour earlier. Rebekah swallowed, her fingers gently coasting over the rocking chair with small animals seemingly hand-carved into the wood. “When are you due?”

“I’ve got about three more months to go,” Caroline answered, moving to a laundry basket already full of onesies. Half were folded, and she dug in to fold another while Rebekah explored. “I feel like it’s going by so quickly, but I can’t really wait for them to get here either, if only to give Klaus someone else to dote on. He’s the best,” she smiled dreamily. “I just miss carrying groceries for myself, you know?”

Distracted, Rebekah petted a plush wolf that reminded her of the one Nik used to lend her during thunderstorms. “He’ll be a wonderful father.”

“Yeah,” Caroline sighed, and she could hear the smile in it. “He will.”

But when they returned to the kitchen to start working on the promised dinner, Nik was quick to shoo them out. “Kol is setting the table and Elijah is out picking up takeaway,” he promised, kissing Caroline’s forehead as he folded napkins around silverware. “You should be resting.”

Rolling her eyes, she glanced back to Rebekah with a significant lift of her brows. “See what I mean?”

They fell into a bickering that felt familiar to them, but it was wholeheartedly new experience for her to witness. While she had no doubt Nik would be a wonderful father, sheerly from knowing how not to be one thanks to their own, it never occurred to her that he’d be a husband, too. It fit him - fit them both, really, as she watched them with something like awe. Given how unhappy their childhood had been, Rebekah was glad that he was building a happy family for the little one.

She only wished she hadn’t missed so much of it.

Without warning, a hand fell on her shoulder. She looked up to find Kol watching them, too. “We’re here now,” he reminded her quietly, and she knew he’d felt the same sad wistfulness that she did. “Dibs on being the favorite uncle.”

“It’s not me you have to wrest it from,” she pointed out, but her hand covered his and squeezed. This time, they wouldn’t miss a thing.


End file.
